


Scary Situations

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 04:10:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16422146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Alex wakes up one morning feeling really unwell, but decides to shrug it off, which turns out to be a terrible choice.





	Scary Situations

As soon as Alex woke up, he could tell that something was not right. He felt super tired, even though he had slept for a long time, he felt cold, and his stomach hurt.  
Great, I have a fever, he thought to himself. Although his band would most likely figure it out, he decided that he didn’t want to tell them about it, because he didn’t want them to be all concerned, and bring up the idea of cancelling shows. Alex got up from his bunk and felt some chest pain almost immediately. Usually, his chest didn’t hurt like this when he was sick, but he decided to just shrug it off. He walked to the kitchen and found his three best friends eating lunch. He looked over to the clock and saw that it was already past two.  
“Look who’s finally awake,” Zack said when he saw Alex.  
“This might be the latest you’ve ever slept,” Rian pointed out.  
“And last night was the earliest you’ve ever slept, are you okay?” Jack asked. Alex could hear the concern in his best friend’s voice.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex replied, before bursting into a coughing fit.  
“You don’t sound fine,” Rian countered.  
“Don’t worry, it’s just a little cold I think,” Alex assured.  
“Okay, fine, but if you start feeling really bad, please actually tell us,” Jack requested.  
Too late, Alex thought to himself. To cover, he just gave his band a thumbs up. He grabbed a cereal bar and made himself a cup of tea. He didn’t want to have too much, in fear of making his stomach hurt even more. He sat down on the couch near where his bandmates were. He ate and drank very slowly, each bite upsetting his stomach a little more. When he was done, he decided to lay back down in his bunk, hoping that a little rest would help him. About twenty minutes after laying down, he felt his stomach turn in a way that he knew wasn’t good. He quickly got up and ran into the tiny bus bathroom. He kneeled in front of the toilet and got sick. When he was done, he decided to take a shower, and see if that would help him feel a bit better. Anything would be better than how he was currently feeling. He took everything off, then got into the shower. He washed himself off as best he could, then turned the water off. The whole time he was drying himself, he was shivering. He quickly finished up and got dressed. Deciding that rest would be a good idea, he walked back over to his bunk. Not much later, he was asleep.  
\------  
“Alex, you need to wake up,” Jack said, shaking his best friend.  
“What’s going on?” Alex asked in a raspy voice.  
“We’re at the venue for the show tonight. Are you sure you can perform?” Jack asked.  
“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Alex said, coughing.  
“You really don’t sound good, and you feel pretty warm,” Jack observed.  
“I’ll be okay, it’s probably just something small, it’ll go away,” Alex said back.  
“Okay, but you should rest a lot after the show, especially if you want to perform tomorrow,” Jack explained.  
“I will, we should get going,” Alex said, sitting up. As the two of them walked to the venue, he noticed that he was a bit short of breath. When they got to the stage door, Alex broke into a coughing fit, making all four of them stop. Jack rubbed his back until it went away.  
“Are you okay?” Zack asked.  
“We should make the set shorter,” Rian stated.  
“No, don’t worry about it,” Alex finally replied. His bandmates knew how stubborn he was about performing, so they knew that trying to change his mind was useless. They all went to their spots for soundcheck and got ready. It was clear to everyone that sound checking was hard for Alex. He felt miserable, but he didn’t want to just give up, and he decided that it was too late to cancel. Once they were finished, they all huddled up like usual.   
“Alex, go rest in the green room, we’ll wake you up when we have to go on,” Rian instructed. Alex didn’t even try to argue, the soundcheck had taken a lot out of him, and sleeping sounded pretty good at that point. He walked to the green room, feeling short of breath again. He sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone. Seconds later, he felt an all too familiar twist in his stomach. He quickly ran to the bathroom connected to the dressing room and got sick again. Since he hadn’t eaten much, the acid made his throat burn. Once he felt done, he went back to the couch, and laid down. Not too much later, he drifted off to sleep.  
\---------  
Alex, I need you to wake up for me,” Jack said, hovering over Alex. He started to come back to his senses and rubbed his eyes.  
“Ugh,” he groaned.  
“Why didn’t you tell one of us that you got sick?” Jack asked, making Alex realize how bad the green room smelled.   
“Because it’s not a big deal, probably just a twenty-four-hour bug or something,” Alex replied. Seconds later, he burst into another coughing fit. When he was done, he winced.  
“Are you in pain?” Jack asked/  
“My chest hurts a little bit, but don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine,” Alex assured.  
“If you say so. We have to get over to the stage entrance, we go on in a couple of minutes,” Jack explained. They both got up and walked over to where the stage was. Rian and Zack were already over there, ready to go.  
“It’s time for you guys!” the stage tech exclaimed. They all walked onstage, Alex trailing behind. After they warmed up the crowd, they started their set. Alex felt terrible, but tried to push past it, so he could give the fans a good show.  
\--------  
They were about halfway done with their set and were about to start Lost in Stereo. Alex noticed that he was starting to feel a bit dizzy. He took a deep breath, then began to play the song. Seconds in, he fell, and only saw black. The fans began to scream, knowing that something was not right. When the other three noticed what had happened, they put down their instruments, and ran over to their friend. The lights were dimmed so the fans couldn’t see, but the three of them could.  
“We have to get him offstage,” Rian stated.  
“We have to end the show now, too, we can come here again, or give refunds, but I think he has to go to the hospital, he feels really warm,” Jack stated, starting to feel scared.   
“I can carry him, one of you help me, and the other tell the fans that we have to stop now, and that we’ll make it up to them,” Zack instructed.  
“I’ll help you, and you tell the crowd, Rian,” Jack decided.  
“Okay, I’ll meet you guys in a minute,” Rian said. Zack picked up Alex easily, since he was so strong, and Alex wasn’t heavy, anyway. Jack helped support him, and they rushed him backstage.  
“Guys, I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to end the show here. Alex was sick earlier, and I don’t think that he’s going to be able to come back out here tonight. We’ll talk to our management, and we’ll come back here as soon as he’s okay again, so we can make this up to you. We’re so sorry, everyone,” Rian announced to the audience. The fans began to yell their well wishes, and even started to chant ‘Feel better Alex’. Rian knew this would make Alex happy to see, so he pulled his phone out, and took a video of the crowd. Rian said how much they loved their fans and apologized one last time before walking offstage. He found the other three at a bench that was right next to the stage.   
“We called an ambulance, it should be here in a few minutes,” Zack explained.  
“Usually only one person can be in the ambulance with the injured person,” Rian pointed out.  
“I want to be in there with him, if that’s okay with you guys,” Jack requested. The other two knew that Jack and Alex were very close to one another, and that Alex would probably have wanted Jack to be with him.  
“The ambulance just got here,” a crew member said.  
“Text me when you guys get to the hospital, and I’ll find you guys,” Jack instructed. The EMS people rushed over to where they were all sitting and put Alex onto a stretcher.   
“Is someone riding with us?” one of the workers asked.  
“I am, yes,” Jack replied. He followed the workers and went onto the ambulance. One went around to the front to drive, and the other got the stretcher into the back. Jack got on, then they shut the doors. As the ambulance started to move, the EMT worker took Alex’s temperature.  
“104.7, that’s really high,” he told Jack.  
“Will he be okay?” Jack asked.  
“Yeah, he will be. Since it’s this high, it’s something more than your average flu, but I don’t think he’ll have to stay in the hospital overnight,” the worker replied. That eased Jack a little, but he was still worried. He knew that Alex shouldn’t have gone onstage that night. He wished that he could’ve somehow convinced Alex to take the night off. When they got to the hospital, Jack’s head immediately cleared, so he could listen to the EMT.  
“You won’t be able to go back to his room with him right now, they have to run some tests. They’ll have you fill out some paperwork in the lobby. They’ll call you and your friends when they can,” he explained.  
“Okay, thank you,” Jack replied.  
“Go find the driver, and he can take you in and give you a little more help,” he instructed. Jack watched Alex be wheeled out of the ambulance and into the hospital, then walked over to where the other worker was.  
“Hey Jack, I’ll take you inside, and we’ll get everything set up for your friend,” the other worker said, shaking Jack’s hand. The two of them walked inside, and over to the desk. The EMT told the lady what was going on, and she began to gather up some paperwork. When he was done, the EMT worker walked away.  
“Okay, I’m going to need you to fill this out to the best of your ability. You should be able to go back and see your friend soon, but I’ll need this from you first,” the receptionist explained, handing Jack a clipboard and pen. Jack took it, then sat down. Luckily, he knew most of what he was being asked, so it wasn’t too hard. Not long after he finished the paperwork, Rian and Zack came in, and walked over to Jack.  
“What’s happened?” Zack asked.  
“Not much yet, I have to give these papers to the lady at the desk, then we should get some information shortly after,” Jack explained. He went back up to the desk, and handed the lady the now filled out papers, and her pen. He went back to his friends, and sat down, anxiously awaiting the news.  
\--------  
About twenty minutes later, a man walked over to them.  
“Are you guys here with Mr. Gaskarth?” he asked.  
“Yes sir, we are,” Jack replied, relieved that he was finally about to get some answers.  
“Great, I’ll start with this; he’s awake now, and after I talk a bit, you’re all free to go see him. We ran some tests, and it seems that Alex has caught pneumonia. It’s a good think that he didn’t come here any later than he did, because that could’ve been a real problem. That being said, he needs to stay here for another hour or so, so we can lower his fever a bit more, then he can go with you all. I’m going to send a prescription to a local pharmacy for an antibiotic, and it’ll come with instructions. I hate to say this, but I wouldn’t let him perform for at least a week,” the doctor explained.  
“Thank you so much sir, a week is totally fine. Thank you for taking care of him,” Jack replied.   
“Of course. Now, would you all like to go and see him? He might not be totally himself yet, but he’s probably a bit better than he was right before you all went on, which is why you all can leave so soon,” the doctor explained.   
“Yes, we’d love to see him sir,” Rian replied.   
“Follow me then,” the doctor said, starting to walk. While they walked to the room, Jack began to feel anxious again. he was glad that Alex was going to be okay, but just knowing that if they’d waited any longer to get Alex looked at, freaked him out. He took a deep breath as they arrived at Alex’s room.   
“All three of you can go in, I’m going to get that prescription taken care of, then I’ll come back,” the doctor explained, walking away. Zack opened the door, and the three of them walked inside. Alex was laying in the bed, in a hospital gown, with an IV drip in his arm. He was awake but looked sick.  
“Hey guys,” Alex said in a weak voice.  
“Alex, you motherfucker,” Jack said, sounding angry.  
“Nice to see you, too,” Alex said, coughing. Jack stayed silent.  
“The two of us will be back in a minute,” Rian said, knowing that Jack should be alone with Alex so they could talk in private. The two of them walked out and shut the door.  
“Are you okay?” Alex asked.  
“Funny of you to be asking that,” Jack said, taking a deep breath, “I’m sorry for what I said a minute ago, but this whole thing just freaked me out. I rode in the ambulance with you and the EMT, and it all scared me. When you fainted, I didn’t know if you were going to wake up,” Jack explained, his voice getting weak.  
“I’m sorry that I scared you like that. I should’ve told you how bad I was really feeling. I didn’t think this would happen” Alex replied.  
“Please do that next time, I know that you love performing, but sometimes it’s okay to cancel a show for your health,” Jack explained.   
“Well, now we have to take a whole week off. Did the doctor tell you that I have pneumonia?” Alex asked.  
“Yeah, he did. We only have three shows in this upcoming week, so at least we won’t have to reschedule too much,” Jack stated.  
“Is it safe to come in?” Rian asked, sticking his head in the door.  
“Yeah, I’m all good now, don’t worry,” Jack said back. The two of them walked in, and Rian pulled his phone out.  
“Alex, I want to show you something. After you passed out, Zack and Jack took you offstage, and I was telling the crowd that we were going to have to end the show. I took this video of the audience,” Rian said, handing his phone to Alex. He pressed play and saw hundreds of people telling him to feel better, and other things like that. Seeing this made Alex smile, and even tear up a little.  
“Thank you for getting this, it makes me feel a lot better,” Alex said, wiping his eyes. Seconds later, the doctor walked in.  
“I got your prescription set up. The address of the pharmacy is in the papers that I’ll give you all when you leave. You guys need to take really good care of him. Lots of rest and fluids. He needs to eat, that’s very important. For the first couple days, he might have trouble keeping stuff down, but still feed him. He’s going to cough a lot, but that’s normal, so don’t be too freaked out if he breaks into coughing fits. You guys are basically all set to head on. I’ll get him changed, then you all can go back to your bus,” he explained.  
“That all sounds good, thank you so much,” Jack replied. They all walked out so Alex could get dressed. A few minutes later, Alex and the doctor waked out, Alex leaning on him.  
“Call me if you have any questions, and I hope that you feel better soon, Alex,” the doctor said, before walking away one last time. The three of them helped Alex get to the bus. He could walk but being sick made him lose a lot of his strength. When they finally got on the bus, they set Alex up in the back lounge, so he could be comfortable and entertained.  
“We should all probably get some sleep,” Zack suggested.  
“You’re right, so where are we going? Like are we staying on the bus? What’s happening?” Jack asked.  
“In a week, the show we’re set to play is on the other side of the country, in California. So, we’re going to drive some everyday this week, but be stopped a lot in case Alex needs something. That’s what we came up with,” Rian explained.  
“Okay, sounds good to me. I’m going to check on him before I sleep, so I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Jack said.  
“Sounds good. Also, we already called the three venues we would’ve played this week, and we’re going to go to them at the end of the tour. We tweeted about it, and sent out an email from the site,” Zack added.  
“You guys are the best, thank you,” Jack replied. Zack and Rian went to their beds, and Jack went to the back lounge. Alex was still awake and watching TV.  
“How’re you feeling?” Jack asked, sitting down.  
“Pretty shitty,” Alex replied in a hoarse voice.  
“Yeah, you don’t sound too good,” Jack stated. Seconds later, Alex burst into a coughing fit. Jack rubbed his back until it was over.  
“Hey, thank you for being so concerned about me, it means a lot,” Alex said.  
“Of course, dude, you’re my best friend. Oh, we were able to reschedule the three shows from this week, and the fans know, so don’t worry about all of that,” Jack explained.  
“Oh okay, good, I’m really glad to hear that,” Alex said with a yawn.  
“I think you should get some sleep,” Jack said, getting up.  
“Can you stay here? I hate being alone when I’m sick,” Alex asked. He was known to be very clingy when he was unwell.  
“Sure, I’ll sleep out here with you,” Jack replied. He went over to his bunk and grabbed his blanket and pillow. He set himself up next to Alex and shut off the lights.  
\--------  
A week had passed by, and it had been a very long week for Jack. Since him and Alex were very close, it was mostly Jack that had looked after Alex. He didn’t mind but taking care of someone that sick was hard work. It was currently about three in the afternoon, and they would be at the venue for that night in about twenty minutes.  
“So, are you sure you feel alright?” Jack asked Alex. They were in the back lounge, while Rian and Zack were up front, watching the end of a movie.  
“Yes, I promise that I feel fine now,” Alex replied.  
“One second,” Jack got up, grabbed the thermometer, and brought it over to Alex.  
“We’re doing this again?” Alex asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Jack had been a bit overbearing all day, and Alex knew this was because they had a show later, and the last one hadn’t exactly gone well.  
“Yes, we’re doing this again. After what happened last time you were onstage, I want to do everything possible to make sure that it won’t happen again,” Jack explained. Once the thermometer was done, Jack read it.  
“98.8, okay, you’re all good,” Jack decided.  
“Okay, great. Jack, I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me this past week. I felt really shitty, and having you made it a lot better than it could’ve been, Alex said, making Jack smile.  
“No problem, you’re my best friend, and I want you to be happy and healthy,” Jack replied.  
“It means a lot,” Alex said. They sat on their phones until they arrived at the venue. They went straight to soundcheck once they go there. It lasted about thirty minutes. When it was over, they walked over to each other.  
“We have a couple hours until showtime, what should we do?” Alex asked.  
“Let’s all just relax until we have to go on,” Rian suggested. Alex suddenly let out a little cough.  
“Are you okay?” Jack immediately asked.  
“Yes, stop worrying Jack, I’ll be in the green room,” Alex said, sounding annoyed. He walked away, leaving the other three.  
“Shit, I pissed him off,” Jack said, sounding slightly upset.  
“Jack, it’s okay. He’s being stupid, you’ve done a lot for him this past week, and he knows that,” Zack reassured.  
“Let’s just all chill until the show starts,” Rian suggested. They walked into a different dressing room, and just relaxed.  
\-------  
A couple hours had passed, and Alex was ready to go on. He practically ran to the stage entrance, feeling thrilled to finally be able to perform again. the others were already out there, ready to go.  
“It’s time!” the stage tech exclaimed. They all ran onstage and took their places.  
“Hey everyone, we’re All Time Low!” Jack said into the microphone, making the crowd cheer.  
“Before we start, I just want to say something. I’ve spent the past week sick with pneumonia, and we haven’t been able to perform because of it. I want to thank my band, especially Jack, for taking great care of me. I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for him. Also, I’m so glad to finally be playing again for your beautiful people. Let’s go!” Alex said, making the crowd scream, and Jack smile. Their show went very well, which made Alex very happy. When it was over, they all ran offstage, and huddled around each other.  
“That was great! Let’s go celebrate!” Rian exclaimed, as him and Zack walked to the bus.  
“Thanks for what you said out there,” Jack said to Alex.  
“No problem. Thanks for being the best friend ever,” Alex replied.  
“You owe me,” Jack joked. The two of them shared a smile, then walked over to the bus, to go celebrate with their friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!! I never thought I'd post this story, but I reread it the other day, and decided why not! I hope you all like this, leave some kudos and comments if you do! If you have any requests, I'd be happy to do it, I'll write pretty much anything! Thank you for reading! Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
